Macroevolutionary convergence connects morphological form to ecological function in birds

Pigot, Alex L.; Sheard, Catherine; Miller, Eliot T.; Bregman, Tom P.; Freeman, Benjamin G.; Roll, Uri; Seddon, Nathalie; Trisos, Christopher H.; Weeks, Brian C.; Tobias, Joe

doi:10.1038/s41559-019-1070-4

Cited by 330 publications

(534 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…For instance, while 31% (42/135) of clades exhibit some signature of competition acting on body size evolution in single-regime fits, 68% (92/135) of them exhibit some signature of competition acting on at least one of the seven functional traits (body-size, bill pPC axes and locomotion pPC axes). These results further strengthen the notion that multiple trait axes are necessary to robustly test hypotheses about ecological variation (Slater & Friscia 2019;Pigot et al 2020).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Tempo and mode of morphological evolution are decoupled from latitude in birds

Drury

Clavel

Tobias

et al. 2020

Preprint

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The latitudinal diversity gradient is one of the most striking patterns in nature yet its implications for morphological evolution are poorly understood. In particular, it has been proposed that an increased intensity of species interactions in tropical biota may either promote or constrain trait evolution, but which of these outcomes predominates remains uncertain. Here, we develop tools for fitting phylogenetic models of phenotypic evolution in which the impact of species interactions can vary across lineages. Deploying these models on a global avian trait dataset to explore differences in trait divergence between tropical and temperate lineages, we find that the effect of latitude on the mode and tempo of morphological evolution is weak and clade- or trait-dependent. Our results indicate that species interactions do not disproportionately impact morphological evolution in tropical bird families and question the validity and universality of previously reported patterns of slower trait evolution in the tropics.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Tempo and mode of morphological evolution are decoupled from latitude in birds

Drury

Clavel

Tobias

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…In addition, we used the length of the wing and first secondary feather to estimate the hand‐wing index (Claramunt et al 2012). Together, these traits have previously been shown to provide an accurate index of avian trophic niches (Pigot et al, 2020). All morphological variables were log‐transformed before analyses.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…To describe major axes of niche variation across our sample of bird species, we compiled comprehensive datasets of two types of traits (Table ). First, we used data from Pigot et al (2020) on eight morphological traits measured with callipers from museum specimens (Appendix ). The traits include beak length, depth and width (to describe major axes of variation in beak morphology, the primary resource related trait in birds), wing length and first secondary feather length (to describe variation in wing shape, related to flight strength and dispersal ability), tarsus length and tail length (related to microhabitat and foraging substrate) and body size (related to energetic constraints, competitive ability and pace of life)(Cannon et al 2019).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Birds—the largest class of tetrapod vertebrates—are a useful system for assessing impacts of environmental change on ecosystem function because they are relatively easy to survey and offer a suite of measurable traits (e.g. wing and beak shape) with an established link to ecological or trophic processes (Pigot et al 2016a, 2019). In addition, birds are a conspicuous component of biodiversity in most regions and play an essential role in key ecological processes, including seed dispersal, pollination, pest control, nutrient cycling and scavenging (Lundberg & Moberg 2003; Sekercioglu 2006; Sekercioglu et al 2016; Pigot et al 2016a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, birds are a conspicuous component of biodiversity in most regions and play an essential role in key ecological processes, including seed dispersal, pollination, pest control, nutrient cycling and scavenging (Lundberg & Moberg 2003; Sekercioglu 2006; Sekercioglu et al 2016; Pigot et al 2016a). Importantly, the functional traits underpinning these processes have recently been comprehensively measured in birds (Pigot et al, 2020; Tobias & Pigot 2019), enabling the characterisation of entire assemblages at unparalleled scope and resolution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The worldwide impact of urbanisation on avian functional diversity

et al. 2020

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Urbanisation is driving rapid declines in species richness and abundance worldwide, but the general implications for ecosystem function and services remain poorly understood. Here, we integrate global data on bird communities with comprehensive information on traits associated with ecological processes to show that assemblages in highly urbanised environments have substantially different functional composition and 20% less functional diversity on average than surrounding natural habitats. These changes occur without significant decreases in functional dissimilarity between species; instead, they are caused by a decrease in species richness and abundance evenness, leading to declines in functional redundancy. The reconfiguration and decline of native functional diversity in cities are not compensated by the presence of exotic species but are less severe under moderate levels of urbanisation. Thus, urbanisation has substantial negative impacts on functional diversity, potentially resulting in impaired provision of ecosystem services, but these impacts can be reduced by less intensive urbanisation practices.Ecology Letters (2020) 23: 962-972

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Body Size Evolution in Crocodylians and Their Extinct Relatives

Godoy

Turner

2020

Encyclopedia of Life Sciences

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Crocodylians are currently facing evolutionary decline. This is evinced by the rich fossil record of their extinct relatives, crocodylomorphs, which show not only significantly higher levels of biodiversity in the past but also remarkable morphological disparity and higher ecological diversity. In terms of body size, crocodylians are mostly large animals (>2 m), especially when compared to other extant reptiles. In contrast, extinct crocodylomorphs exhibited a 10‐fold range in body sizes, with early terrestrial forms often quite small. Recent research has shed new light on the tempo and mode of crocodylomorph body size evolution, demonstrating a close relationship with ecology, in which physiological constraints contribute to the larger sizes of marine species. Abiotic environmental factors can also play an important role within individual subgroups. Crocodylians, for instance, have been experiencing an average size increase during Cenozoic, which seems to be related to a long‐term process of global cooling. Key Concepts Although Crocodylia is currently a depauperate group, the fossil record of its closest extinct relatives, crocodylomorphs, can provide important evidence to answer major evolutionary questions, such as on extinction and diversity loss. Crocodylomorph body size has varied significantly over time, as well as between subgroups, ranging from relatively small (<1 m) to gigantic (>10 m) species. Crocodylomorph body size evolution is not consistent with an overall trend towards large or smaller sizes through time; instead, multiple shifts to different evolutionary regimes can explain the observed body size values. Climate alone cannot explain the evolution of body size in all crocodylomorphs, but some environmental factors had stronger influence on individual subgroups. The usually larger sizes of aquatic and marine crocodylomorphs can be explained by physiological constraints associated with thermoregulation and lung capacity when under the water. A strong correlation between temperature and body size found for members of the crown‐group (Crocodylia) indicates that species became larger on average as the world became cooler during the Cenozoic.

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Macroevolutionary convergence connects morphological form to ecological function in birds

Cited by 330 publications

References 63 publications

Tempo and mode of morphological evolution are decoupled from latitude in birds

Tempo and mode of morphological evolution are decoupled from latitude in birds

The worldwide impact of urbanisation on avian functional diversity

Body Size Evolution in Crocodylians and Their Extinct Relatives

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